Nearly 25 years ago, Murcutt received wide acclaim for the Ball-Eastaway House (above), which floats above the land on steel columns, protected from brush fires with complete coverage from an external sprinkler system.

“[I was] raised in a family that sought responsible living patterns that involved the minimum use of available resources. My father designed and constructed boats and un-air-conditioned buildings where airflow was important, where waste was almost a crime, where initiative was rewarded with pocket money. At the same time, I was fined 3 pence each time electric lights were left burning. In a [place where] exotic plants were the pattern, native plants were propagated using the kitchen oven to ‘fire open' seeds.”